Jean Michel Pilc had already planned on coming to Europe for concerts and master classes, and so a studio recording was arranged in the Netherlands. The result of both recordings is Parallel: a double album with two solo piano recordings, conceived in a completely new form, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The album is a fascinating and exciting journey into Jean-Michel's realm of composed and improvised music that makes one want to listen to it over and over again. Jean-Michel writes: "Most people believe that growing up and aging goes hand in hand with gaining knowledge and wisdom. It may be comforting to think that life teaches you things and there is often something true about it. However, for me there is a parallel, deeper reality at work. The more I know, the more I have to unlearn. The music of this album- created in the last years, in two very different sessions with the invisible ink of improvisation- deals with this mysterious and constantly growing part of the unknown: create, forget, and recreate."

Chiara Pancaldi is a passionate Italian jazz singer. Performing live in clubs and festivals in Italy and abroad: Umbria Jazz, London Jazz Festival, CrossRoads Jazz Festival, Sunset Sunside Jazz Club, Jazzkeller Jazz Club, Porgy and Bess, Unterfahrt, Teatro Giordano, Ancona Jazz Festival, Bologna Jazz Festival, Muze, Torrione Jazz Club, Alexander Plaz Jazz Club, Cantina Bentivoglio Jazz Club, Orsara Jazz Festival, Paradiso JazzFestival, and many more. She has worked and performed with many great Italian and American jazz musicians such as Cyrus Chestnut, John Webber, Joe Farnsworth, Darryl Hall, Kirk Lightsey, Fabrizio Bosso, Piero Odorici, Nico Gori, Pietro Tonolo, Marc Abrams, Nicola Muresu, Nico Menci, Stefano Senni, Andrea Giuffredito name a few. Her debut on Challenge, I WALK A LITTLE FASTER had Chiara performing with an excellent trio with Cyrus Chestnut on piano, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. The record has Jeremy Pelt as Artistic Producer. The record has been awarded as Best Vocal Jazz Album 2015 by the Jazz Critique Magazine. After that she released What is There to Say and now Chiara Pancaldi is presenting her third album on Challenge Records: Precious.

Carla Marciano writes: "This album is my heartfelt homage to one of the greatest geniuses of film score, the composer and conductor Bernard Herrmann, whose music has dazzled me since I was a child. It has been very interesting to arrange, revise and adapt, for a jazz quartet, some of the best known themes from outstanding soundtracks Herrmann write for equally outstanding films- all psychological thrillers- by brilliant directors, including Marnie, Psycho and Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock, Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese and Twisted Nerve by Roy Boulting. Bearing a classic feel and originally conceived for orchestras, the tracks in this album were arranged in full respect of the originals, leaving intact, for example, the beauty of the melodies, while at the same time creating new improvisational spaces that would allow our quartet to maintain it's own identity. This also gave us the opportunity to progress in a musical journey we embarked on starting with the first album, and me, personally, to hold the course of my visceral, improvisational language, always instinctive and open to risk, an expression of my emotional, spiritual and existential self, baring my soul in absolute freedom through no compromise whatsoever, but rather driven by a strong desire for research and experimentation. I consider the emotions and stimulations generated in me by Herrmann's music, together with the films in which it's featured, a wonderful gift. I hope I have been able to thank him through our heartfelt work..."

It is not often that one is lucky enough to directly observe the creation of unique beauty, perfect craftsmanship, absolute passion and profound dedication. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to experience these with the creation of "Lexposure", in Cologne at the end of August 2020. This took place in the legendary, state-of-the-art "Riverside Studios", under the auspices of the producer Ralf Kemper, who actively and artistically directed the entire technical recording at the mixing desk. Thus it came about that the best technology and the best musical skills came together here at one of the most high profile studio locations in the world. With ingenious talents on all of these different levels, it was inevitable that something uniquely beautiful was created. This production was led by the well known Dutch bandleader, pianist, arranger & composer Lex Jasper, and his trio features Vincent Koning on guitar and Frans van Geest on bass. All are masterful veteran musicians in their own right, and complement. So well captured here in this recording, we find a very successful, high-end production of harmonically and melodically beautiful arrangements... Ballads, Bossa Nova and groovy, swinging arrangements of 15 original compositions, which all come together here to form a beautiful "high work of art." Jasper's compositions and arrangements all have their own musical horizon, their own claim to timeless beauty and the guarantee and claim to taste and brilliance. You hear it in every note. It's unique sound belongs entirely to him. It runs like a red thread through all of the compositions and arrangements.

The Hague Songbook Exchange is an exchange of compositions between jazz musicians and producers from the electronic music scene. Initiator Martijn Verlinden: "This album is a collection of songs which shows that the city of The Hague is bursting with musical talent. Many jazz musicians and producers from the city have been leading and innovative in music for decades. The idea for the album came about because I have been active in music for more than25 years, and because of that I am especially a great fan of jazz and electronic music. By exchanging compositions between the two music styles, they have been rearranged without deviating from their own genre and new music has emerged. This album is an ode to my father Martin Verlinden, he was a jazz pianist and passed away in 1989."

Click here to view the CD version.

Saxophonist Yuri Honing is back after his successful album Desire, again with a jazz album that breathes peace, serenity, tension and mysticism. Goldbrun - a not existing word - is the Yuri Honing's European answer to A Love Supreme (1965) by John Coltrane. Like A Love Supreme this album aims to bond, to honor and to praise. Dutch musician Yuri Honing had his first major success in 1996 with his album Star Tracks, which comprised recordings of pop songs as an alternative to the American Songbook. The album became a hit in the Netherlands and Germany as well as the UK, and cemented his place among top the top European jazz contenders. This is Yuri’s 18th album. He resides in Amsterdam, and in addition to performing organizes the Winterreise music evening in Paradiso, Amsterdam.

Whether as a soloist or leader of an ensemble, Lynne Arriale’s artistry and influence are profound and have elevated her stature as a composer, arranger, and performer to a renown shared by few other jazz musicians. ‘Give Us These Days’ is ambitious in its conception and its unbridled sense of wonder. Evolved from the creative genius that foretold her reputation as an extraordinary piano poet and composer, the six original tunes and three arrangements on this album chart a new course for the trio. It leads, ever so gently, to the chambers of the heart, there to reflect upon the precious and ephemeral nature of existence. What emerges is the theme of this album, brilliantly illuminated by the title track: Given the unpredictability and impermanence of life, savor each moment. Her playing on these pieces is powerful, informed by rigorous classical training, prodigious technique, and seemingly boundless creativity.

After more than 30 concerts and many excellent reviews about their first trio albums Tales From The Unexpected and ""European Trio"", the Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and the Dutch double bassist Jasper Somsen recorded their third trio album with the Catalan drummer Jorge Rossy: Common View. The new album is an equal and refreshing collaboration featuring these three masters both as performing artists and composers. Three totally different lives, characters, and backgrounds collide as one Common View.

Enrico Pieranunzi has long been one of the best-known and appreciated personalities on the European jazz scene. Pianist, composer, arranger, he has recorded more than seventy albums under his own name, ranging from solo piano to trio, and from duet to quintet. He has played in concert and in the studio with Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Marc Johnson, Joey Baron, Paul Motian, Chris Potter, and Charlie Haden, performing at all the most important international festivals, from Montreal to Copenhagen, from Berlin to Madrid.

Pieranunzi's formative years embraced both classical and jazz piano, and the influence of Debussy is readily apparent in the lush romanticism at the heart of his music. Emerging in the early '70s, Pieranunzi's lyrical approach quickly brought him to the forefront of the European scene, and in 1984 he formed a trio with Marc Johnson and Joey baron, the first of several outstanding groups with American musicians. In 1989, 2003 and 2008 he was voted Musician of the Year in the Italian magazine Musica Jazz critic's poll and he was 1997 recipient of the Django d'Or Award for best European Jazz Musician. In the recent years Pieranunzi performed and recorded frequently in the United States.

REVIEW:

Cultivating language, omitting the unnecessary, letting silence have its say, all this gives the other person room for meaningful nuances. Two congenial partners stand equally at Pieranunzi's side. On the one hand, there is the Dutch bassist Jasper Somsen with his preference for poetically floating tones, and on the other hand the almost inconspicuously acting drummer Jorge Rossy, who forms filigree rhythmic figures.

-- Jazzpodium

Coming Yesterday is the recording of what turned out to be Martial Solal’s final concert. "When I walked onto the stage on January 23, 2019, I did not yet know that I would decide not to play piano anymore after this concert, more than seventy years after my debut. To maintain a certain level, this instrument requires your daily attention; it requires delicacy, brutality, and especially energy. I have lived with these demands all my life, with the joy of seeing the progress, the technical and musical advances, the rhythmic and harmonic enrichments that we acquire over time. Of course, everything goes very fast at first. As long as you are gifted, if you spend a little time on it, if you listen to what was done before you, if you choose a path, everything may seem easy. Progress is rapid, illusions are immense, and then walls arise, walls that you want to reach and overcome. Seventy years to achieve this is a minimum... When energy is no longer available, it is better to stop.” The program is an improvised solo show, with works by Ira Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, and more.

Marieke Koopman was destined for music. Growing up in a musical household, Marieke was always surrounded by musicians, music, and creativity. "Even as a kid I was always singing, wherever I was!" As a daughter of two well-known musicians, it was no surprise she chose a creative and musical life as well. "Music in not only the note you sing. You need to really tell a story." So, after years of studying with teachers as Max van Egmond, Astrid Seriese, Floor van Zutphen, Sanna van Vliet and Deborah Carter, she wanted to go even deeper into her performance. She decided to go to acting school. Studying acting with teachers as Nelleke Zitman, Erik v/t Wout, Truus te Selle, brought her a strong understanding of words, subtext and meaning, but also of how to incorporate words, melody, and performance into one strong appearance. Marieke was finally ready to follow her heart's desire into music. From that point on she started performing Jazz. After graduating she focused her work on two main area's: performing as a jazz-singer and writing and playing children's theatre. During this time, she really started focusing on swing jazz and performing with Big bands. For this release she has chosen jazz-standards (some known, others not so known) which had strong lyrics or were little gems melody wise and mixed them with her own style. Never being afraid of opinions or stepping out of the box, Marieke loves to transform songs and has found a way of communicating her emotions through playful rhythmic and melodic interpretations, improvisations, as well as her use of lyrical timing.

"Avalon is inspired by an ancient Celtic myth of an island in dense fog where the Holy Grail is said to be located, King Arthur is buried and where Excalibur is hidden. I use it as a metaphor for the present time in which we live in which it is not clear to anyone what the world will look like after the pandemic. The single Avalon is a dreamy piece of music that is also used for the exhibition in de Fundatie that will run until the spring of 2021." (Yuri Honing) This release contains compositions by both Yuri Honing and Wolfert Brederode, complimented by pieces from Charlie Haden, Friedrich Hollander, and Billy Strayhorn.

"Avalon is inspired by an ancient Celtic myth of an island in dense fog where the Holy Grail is said to be located, King Arthur is buried and where Excalibur is hidden. I use it as a metaphor for the present time in which we live in which it is not clear to anyone what the world will look like after the pandemic. The single Avalon is a dreamy piece of music that is also used for the exhibition in de Fundatie that will run until the spring of 2021." (Yuri Honing)

"Every time I listen to the very first tones of Afterglow, I get struck immediately, as if by a force of nature. Suddenly, I am part of a natural phenomenon, that manifests right in front of me. At that very moment, everything else in the world doesn't seem to matter that much. There's only you and the musical synergy of two masterminds, who put their hearts and souls in every detail of their private conversation. Exactly the same feeling hit me over and over, when audio engineer Floren Van Stichel and I were part of the creation of Afterglow, in September2018. The sheer beauty of the music by Enrico Pieranunzi and Bert Joris was present at every single moment. The only thing Floren and I had to do was listen. We simply guarded the entire process. While performing together, Enrico once said: "Sometimes, the moment you don't play adds more significance to the things you do play". The same thing applies to being a producer. Being present was just enough. Nature took it's course and Afterglow saw the light of day." (Jasper Somsen)